SSX 3
SSX 3 is a snowboarding video game published by Electronic Arts and developed by EA Sports BIG, which was released in late 2003. It is the third installment in the SSX series and is THX approved. Gameplay As in previous SSX titles, players choose one of several characters, participate in races or trick competitions, and earn rewards. The most obvious change to the series is the location. In earlier games, individual tracks were located around the world. In SSX 3, the entire game takes place on one mountain, with three peaks and several individual runs. Runs are designated as "race", "slopestyle", "super pipe", "big air", or "backcountry" tracks, and are designed accordingly. The race tracks are connected; it is possible to board through these tracks from the top of the mountain to the bottom without stopping or reloading each track. The reward system is also revamped and improved. Although some rewards are still tied to what medals the player gets, most rewards are bought using money earned in competition or when finding hidden collectibles. Outfits, stat improvements, "cheat characters" (character models) and game art are all available. Graphically the game is improved over previous installments by featuring a new graphics engine which adds various visual improvements such as 'Mountain effects': special effects to the game's mountain, such as thunder. Furthermore, the game is based around a "freeroaming" architecture akin to the later installments of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series. Other notable changes include the introduction of a second level of "über tricks"; the elimination of freestyle/BX/Alpine boards in favor of a single board type, and the elimination of statistical differences between characters, and the continuity in tracks linked together by "Stations." In general, the game emphasizes customization much more than in previous games; for example, different boards no longer have different effects on how they perform, allowing the player to choose between them based purely on aesthetics as opposed to taking the statistics into consideration, as was common previously. There are four ways to "Conquer the Mountain" and advance to higher peaks: One is to earn medals in racing events, eventually leading to a challenge by the master of that peak in a backcountry event, and then a full peak challenge, which covers that peak's backcountry all the way to the bottom of Peak 1. There are 5 official race courses in the game, not including the 6 rival challenge races. Freestyle works similarly, given that there are more freestyle events than there are races. Also, the full peak challenges for Peaks 1 and 2 only cover their respective backcountries and slopestyles. There are 9 official freestyle courses in the game, not including the 6 rival challenge freestyles. Freeride works in an entirely different way. The player can earn a certain percentage of the collectibles for the peak and also win a certain number of the peak's "Big Challenges" (special challenges that range from breaking glass panes in superpipes to punching targets in "The Throne"). The "typical" Big Challenge has the player score points in a race track or speed down a slopestyle track. Earnings is a set amount of money the player is supposed to earn while playing the game normally. Characters Returning Characters *Elise Riggs *Mackenzie "Mac" Fraser *Kaori Nishidake *Zoe Payne *Moby Jones *Psymon Stark New Characters *Allegra Sauvagess *Griff Simmons *Nate Logan *Viggo Rolig Finishing various in-game tasks earns the player money, with which they can buy their character accessories. Each character features a number of shared accessories as well as unique items designed specifically for them. Purchasing accessories allows the player to create a distinct version of their character to distinguish them from others. In addition to these characters, there are unlockable "cheat characters". While these hidden characters are entirely playable, most of them do not have unique animations, voice acting or equipable accessories. Most of these cheat characters have the same voice and animation as the character you originally chose before selecting a cheat character. Cheat characters range from past characters from the SSX series to bizarre fantasy snowboarders, like a snowman, a beaver, a cow and even Stretch from NBA Street. Peak 1 * Race * Freestyle * Freeride Peak 2 * Race * Freestyle * Freeride Peak 3 * Race * Freestyle * Freeride Local Events and Weather Weather Peak One *"Time for a weather update, I'm happy to report yesterday's conditions will be carrying through most of today - actually, all of today. Riders can expect excellent visibility, mild winds, and low range in the high alpines." *"Alright here's what's happenin' on the mountain recent heavy snowfalls have left Peak One in great shape today, but avalanche warnings are still in the red so ski patrol is advising caution to those of you hitting the back county." Local Events * "Here's an update to some earlier news. Initial reports of competitors jumping ahead of lift lines has now been corrected to, competitors jumping over lift lines. Well you know, that's pretty much to be expected I think." Peak Two *"What's goin' around town? Well, I'll tell you. The three peak drive-in wants everyone to know regardless of the weather, they are open. Saturday's triple horror feature is Night of the Rabbid Garden Gnomes, Attack of the Zombie Comeback Nurses, and locally made Frozen Films feat. Day of the Cough Surfers. Quality entertainment people." -All info given from Dj Atomika. Videos Reception SSX 3 received universal acclaim upon its release. The PlayStation 2 version currently has a 93 at Metacritic. Category:Games